Gentle enough for children
In a German study published last year in the journal Pain, four weekly laser acupuncture treatments slashed the number of days on which children suffered chronic headaches by 6.4 days, compared to just one day in the group treated with sham laser acupuncture.
“The results of our trial were pretty impressive,” says Sven Gottschling, MD, who conducted the headache study at University Children’s Hospital in Homberg, Germany. He tells me that though most experts agree that needle acupuncture is even more powerful, “we think children and babies don’t need such an intense stimulus like needle acupuncture. Laser acupuncture is a very safe technique you can use even for premature infants.”. Currently, Dr. Gottschling is recruiting children who are receiving chemotherapy cancer treatments for a study to see if laser acupuncture can relieve postchemo nausea.
Got tennis elbow or an arthritic knee?
If you suffer from tennis elbow or arthritic knees, trying a course of laser acupuncture treatments might ease your pain. In studies conducted by Jan Magnus Bjordal, PhD, a professor of physiotherapy at Bergen University College in Norway, laser acupuncture treatments provided short-term relief for tennis elbow pain and knee pain caused by arthritis.
So how does it work? Dr. Bjordal, president of the World Association for Laser Therapy, tells me he’s still unsure. But, he says, it’s possible that laser treatments are anti-inflammatory and enhance tendon repair.
Bottom line: Pain relief is possible, though certainly not guaranteed, says Dr. Howard. Then again, when was the last time your doctor guaranteed any treatment would work?
Laser acupuncture can be used to treat any condition that can be treated with needles, she adds, and any licensed acupuncturist can perform laser treatments with the proper training. Find a licensed acupuncturist at the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine.
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Comments (4)
I tink I’ll try it because i have arthritis. Regular acupuncture works pretty well but it’s worth the try.
Sara, do you know if laser acupuncture treatments are currently being used on Fibromyalgia patients? Any success stories so far? Thanks
I am a Registered Acupuncturist. I practiced with acu needles for 4 years before I switched to laser acupuncture almost 3 years ago. I am getting better results for all types of pain, including arthritis. Eating foods that are right for your consitution is also very important.
Ive had fibro since this doctor made a big mistake during a surgery in 1991. I was lucky enough to finally see Dr Jay Goldstein(he pinpointed the day I got fibro)who had done so much work towards trying to find a cure for fibro and chronic fatigue. He would try pills, treating several patients at once while we sat in lazy boys. He would give trigger point injections which was amazing at helping pain. His own doctors told him to retire. I then found a pain clinic and I get trigger point injections every few months. This is the thing that has helped me most. Ive tried all those antidepressants that made me feel worse than the pain. Pain pills help. I couldnt go to work without them. I have a lot of intolerance to sitting. I tried two rounds of acupuncture, 12 visits each round. It didnt even help a bit. I had high expectations since trigger points do work. I have a cuddle ewe mattress topper. It is heaven for pain relief. I dont have much pain when Im in bed. I thought I had agoraphobia because I didnt want to leave the house. It was just the pain causing me to stay home. Last week I had no pain to speak of. I thought a miracle had happened. Its back as bad as ever. I do try to exercise. Oh do I pay for it the next day. I think my sister has fibro now and she wont accept the fact she could. I bet a hot tub would help. Im losing my agility and I dont want that! I was quite low on vitamin D, and though it can be toxic, I think it helped a bit. I too found my GP to be very skeptical about fibro. To these people I say, “I wish you could live just one day in my shoes!”